BCA comments on OCOT review

Barrie Construction Association executive director Alison Smith has sent the following message to BCA’s membership:

Good morning

After an extensive opposition campaign around the Ontario College of Trades (OCOT) Premier Kathleen Wynne committed to appoint an advisor to review the College.

This promise was a victory for the Barrie Construction Association along with the Ontario Skilled Trades Alliance (OSTA) and the Council of Ontario Construction Associations (COCA) as the College’s operating processes will be reviewed by Tony Dean. Dean will advise and make recommendations to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities (MTCU) on the following aspects:

Clarify and improve the manner in which OCOT makes decisions on the scope of practice of trades, including on areas of skills/practice overlap;

The role of OCOT in developing and administering apprenticeship programs;

The process for the reclassification of trades as compulsory or voluntary; and,

The role of the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) in jurisdictional or work assignment disputes

Tony Dean

Dean received 107 submissions from College trade boards, individuals, single-trade and trade sector employers and unions, training providers and independent businesses. BCA, OSTA and COCA made submissions to Tony Dean on behalf of their members. The review will engage stakeholders through these written submissions and through oral consultations.

Barrie Construction Association’s past president, Katherine Van Leeuwen is set to meet face-to-face with Dean on April 29th, to provide points of clarification on the BCA written submission.

A final draft of Dean’s report is to be submitted to the MTCU no later than August 2015. Following delivery of the report, MTCU and OCOT will have the opportunity to review it and provide “factual or editorial comments or corrections” before the report and its recommendations are published.

Publication of the final report and recommendations is likely to occur before the legislative break for Christmas in December 2015 (based on current scheduling).